Kingdom Shopping Centre
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom Centre forms the main shopping element of Glenrothes
town centre
. It is the largest indoor shopping centre
in Fife
and is one of the largest single-level indoor shopping centres in Scotland
with around 40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft) of (gross) floorspace.
The centre is popular locally and has some of the highest levels of footfall in Fife. The centre currently contains over 100 shops as well as a variety of cafes, the town's central library, the Rothes Halls- the town's theatre and a bingohall and cinema also form part of the shopping complex. The town's main bus station is located next to the southeast end of the centre.
Key stores in the Kingdom Centre include Dunnes
, JJB Sports
, Boots, Argos
and New Look
.
The town centre was originally to be built on the same principles of the English new towns such as Stevenage
and Bracknell
. The centre would comprise a series of shopping streets and squares separated from traffic. The first phase of the Kingdom Centre was built as large modern pedestrian square. A large glazed roof and a modern fountain were incorporated as features in the design. The Golden Acorn Hotel, the town's Post Office and a bus turning circle were all included as part of the development. A Co-Op Department store opened in 1964 at the eastern entrance to the square and a town clock was built as a feature adjacent to the store.
Square is now. A Woolworths store (now Homebargains) was built to anchor the west end of the centre. A Presto supermarket (now Dunnes Stores) and the New Glenrothes House office block were built as later additions to the second phase.
In 1982 a third phase was built extending the centre further west. The domed Unicorn Square was the principle feature of the third phase and Unicorn House, an office block with distinctive reflective glass, was built to the north of the development. A Gateway supermarket (now New Look, JJB Sports & Peacocks) anchored the third phase of the shopping centre when it opened.
A major feature of the fourth phase was the high-roofed and glazed Rothes Square complete with a hanging triangle clock, circular feature floor design and an alfresco cafe. A Somerfield supermarket (now Co-Op) anchored the fourth phase of the centre when it first opened.
superstore is proposed at North Street as an expanision of the shopping mall. An Action Plan is also being created for the long term renewal of the town centre by Fife Council in collaboration with other stakeholders. This outlines short and long term projects to enhance the built environment of the town centre and improve its usage.
Fife Household Shoppers Survey http://admin.1fife.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_220909FifeHouseholdSurveyReport.pdf
Glenrothes
Glenrothes is a large town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is located approximately from both Edinburgh, which lies to the south and Dundee to the north. The town had an estimated population of 38,750 in 2008, making Glenrothes the third largest settlement in Fife...
town centre
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
. It is the largest indoor shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
and is one of the largest single-level indoor shopping centres in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with around 40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft) of (gross) floorspace.
The centre is popular locally and has some of the highest levels of footfall in Fife. The centre currently contains over 100 shops as well as a variety of cafes, the town's central library, the Rothes Halls- the town's theatre and a bingohall and cinema also form part of the shopping complex. The town's main bus station is located next to the southeast end of the centre.
Key stores in the Kingdom Centre include Dunnes
Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket and clothing retail chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland.The chain primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain...
, JJB Sports
JJB Sports
JJB Sports plc is a United Kingdom sports retailer. It currently operates 251 stores in the UK and Ireland.- History :The sportshop chain was founded in 1971, when ex-footballer Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan. The original store was established by JJ Broughton in the early...
, Boots, Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
and New Look
New Look (store)
New Look is a British global fashion retailer with a chain of high street shops in Britain, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Malta, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.-History:...
.
Phase 1
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
and Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
. The centre would comprise a series of shopping streets and squares separated from traffic. The first phase of the Kingdom Centre was built as large modern pedestrian square. A large glazed roof and a modern fountain were incorporated as features in the design. The Golden Acorn Hotel, the town's Post Office and a bus turning circle were all included as part of the development. A Co-Op Department store opened in 1964 at the eastern entrance to the square and a town clock was built as a feature adjacent to the store.
Phase 2
The design of the first phase had a number of problems and in 1976 a decision was taken to remove the glazed roof and the fountain and roof over the square at shop fascia height. The shopping centre was extended west to the point where FalklandFalkland
-Places:*Falkland, British Columbia, Canada*Falkland, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada*Falkland, Newbury, a ward of Newbury, Berkshire, England.*Falkland, Fife, a burgh in Fife, Scotland....
Square is now. A Woolworths store (now Homebargains) was built to anchor the west end of the centre. A Presto supermarket (now Dunnes Stores) and the New Glenrothes House office block were built as later additions to the second phase.
Phase 3
Phase 4
In 1993, with the winding up of the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) on the horizon, a fourth phase was built. This was partially funded with a central government grant to aid in providing any last major projects for the new town. The fourth phase incorporated the Rothes Halls, a multi-purpose community facility with a cafe, theatre, library and conference facilities.A major feature of the fourth phase was the high-roofed and glazed Rothes Square complete with a hanging triangle clock, circular feature floor design and an alfresco cafe. A Somerfield supermarket (now Co-Op) anchored the fourth phase of the centre when it first opened.
Future proposals
Shopping in Glenrothes is to be enhanced with proposals to expand the Kingdom Centre. A TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
superstore is proposed at North Street as an expanision of the shopping mall. An Action Plan is also being created for the long term renewal of the town centre by Fife Council in collaboration with other stakeholders. This outlines short and long term projects to enhance the built environment of the town centre and improve its usage.
External links
Kingdom Centre website http://www.kingdomshoppingcentre.co.ukFife Household Shoppers Survey http://admin.1fife.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_220909FifeHouseholdSurveyReport.pdf